News
Report Israel to open diplomatic mission in UAE
Haaretz reports this morning that Israel is to open its first diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) within the coming weeks.
An anonymous senior Israeli official told Haaretz that the delegation will be officially attached to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is based in Abu Dhabi. In 2009, Israel supported the UAE’s bid to house the IRENA headquarters and apparently this was on condition that Israel could later open a diplomatic mission under the agency’s auspices.
The report says that Dr Dore Gold, the Director-General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, attended the IRENA Council’s biannual meeting in Abu Dhabi this week and discussed the new mission with IRENA Director-General Adnan Amin. Apparently, office space has already been found and diplomat Rami Hatan will head the Israeli delegation.
Israel did operate diplomatic missions in Qatar and Oman until both were closed in the wake of Operation Cast Lead in 2008 to 2009, during which Israel entered the Gaza Strip in an effort to quell rocket fire on Israeli civilians. However, in May 2010, Israel’s then trade minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer attended an international economic conference in Qatar. Tzipi Livni, in her capacity as Israel’s Foreign Minister at the time also visited Qatar in November 2008.
Many of the Gulf states, which are largely Sunni dominated, share Israel’s concerns over Shia Iran’s military and particularly nuclear ambitions, viewing them as a common threat to the region. Sky News reported in October that the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait are interested in purchasing the Israeli-developed Iron Dome anti-missile system, given the threat posed by Iran. Meanwhile, during his speech at the United Nations’ General Assembly in September, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alluded to closer Gulf ties, saying, “Common dangers are clearly bringing Israel and its Arab neighbours closer and as we work together to thwart those dangers, I hope we’ll build lasting partnerships.”